Adenine pairs with thymine and cytosine with guanine through hydrogen bonds.
A (purine) pairs with T (pyrimidine) via two hydrogen bonds, and G with C via three. Each pair has the same width, giving a uniform helix. Chargaff's rule says amounts of A equal T and G equals C. In RNA, A pairs with U.
Base pairing also lets RNA fold into structures such as tRNA hairpins.
Adenine pairs with thymine and cytosine with guanine through hydrogen bonds.
Base Pairing is one of the 52 topics in Molecular Biology. It is rated Beginner, so it suits learners who are starting out in biology. Related topics in this area include Translation, Codon, Helicase and Topoisomerase.
DNA with high GC content melts at a higher temperature than AT-rich DNA, which is important when designing PCR primers.
Base Pairing is a Beginner topic, so no earlier topic is required. Other Beginner topics in Molecular Biology that pair well with it include Central Dogma, DNA Replication, Transcription.
The closest topics to Base Pairing are Translation, Codon, Helicase and Topoisomerase, Wobble Hypothesis. Comparing them side by side is a good way to see how the ideas connect.
Read the summary and the in-depth section, then use the quick check on the interactive lesson for Base Pairing. To practise the whole of Molecular Biology, use the Molecular Biology quiz.
Base Pairing: Adenine pairs with thymine and cytosine with guanine through hydrogen bonds. Translation: Ribosomes read the mRNA codons to assemble amino acids into a protein. Read both side by side and note what each one explains.
First, read the summary and write the definition in your own words. Second, read the in-depth section and note any example. Third, compare it with Translation and explain the difference aloud. Finally, take the Molecular Biology quiz and come back to this page for any question you miss.
Ribosomes read the mRNA codons to assemble amino acids into a protein.
🧫 Molecular BiologyA triplet of mRNA bases that codes for one amino acid or a stop signal.
🧫 Molecular BiologyHelicase unwinds the double helix at the fork while topoisomerase relieves the supercoiling strain ahead of it.
🧫 Molecular BiologyFlexible pairing at the third codon position lets fewer tRNAs read all 61 sense codons.
🧫 Molecular Biology